I Ate the Cheese*
*Lisa Rosa, a professor at Polk State College, led the Creative Writing Club, which I co-sponsor, in creating a parody of Kenneth Koch's parody of William Carlos Williams' "This Is Just to Say" (1934). Koch's parody, "Variations of a Theme by William Carlos Williams," appeared in Thank You, and Other Poems (1962).
I ate the cheese
and crackers you
were saving for the chili
you made.
Forgive me.
I need the food to
ease my anxiety and
I prefer my chili to
be cheese and crackers.**
**A true story. I knew I'd get in trouble, but my mother-in-law had brought Ritz crackers and cheddar cheese to go with the chili my husband made. It's good chili, but I really prefer cheese. I ate a lot of cheese and crackers in that one sitting. And, yes, my husband was greatly disappointed that none was left for the remaining chili.